Running-gear and draw-bar attachment for mine-cars.



J. F., FOX.

RUNNING GEAR AND DRAW BAR ATTACHMENT FOB MINE. GAB-S, APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1013.

1,077,601 Patented Nov. 4, 19-13.

Fi I. 7 i 5 4 9 i LO F/ X f n 3 k\ 1 1h wi t'nwoco ab/2 E1 0).

40 bar, or thedraw irregularities and by giving UNITED STATES PATENT OFFILtQhZ.

JOHN r. rox. or rmumenau, ALABAMA aunnrnmeam mm; DRAW-3A1!) arracnmrm son mam-cans.

- mama ollettersiatent.

Patented Nev. a 1913".

Application filed mom-1, 191a 'Serialh'o. 757,102.,

To all whom it may concern Be it known-that. I, J 01m F-. Fox, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at.

Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of. Alabama, have inventedcertainnew and useful Improvements in Running'Gear and Draw-Bar Attachments for Mine-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in running gear and draw bar attachments for cars, and particularly for mine-cars where the axleshave been directly connected tothe car body andnot to a truck.

One object of my inventionis to attach the'journal boxes for both axles to a flexible metal plate which. in turn is bolted to the This plate-is made sufliwhile it is flexible-enough to accommodate itself in the bending or giving of the car body. It has the obvious advantage of mounting the running, gear. on a part sepa: rate from the wooden body so that it may be readily removed and transferredto another car ata small cost; The vibration ofthe plate between its points of support onthe axle boxes relieves the jars fromthe track port to the car increases its i p A further object of my invention-has been to so design the running attachments for the car that I am enabled to apply spring draw bars to the ordinary mine car at a comparativelysmall expense. The difiiculty heretofore in applying a draw barto n. mine-car has been that either a longheavy beam has been extended from end to end under the car which raised the car body above the axles, or the axles were bent down under the bar wasat a considerable expense formed of metal and bent down so as to pass under the axles. I avoidv these late which passes under the axles and has its ends connected. to. the. down Y turned flanged'endsof the plate upon which the journal boxes are mounted. Separate draw bars are mounted ateachl..en 1 ftli a. spring sup-' fe.-

by providinga central longitudi which are of the twoand close to the axlea-and', without sacrificing. strength and'rigidness, permits the car to be. equipped with draw bars at comparativellvi smallexpen se.

y inventioncomprises other details of construction. and: arrangement of parts which are hereinafter more particularly described. and-claimed and illustrated in their preferred embodiment in the accompanying. drawings,. in. which Figure 1 is a side view partlyinsection and partly inside elevation taken on the line wm of Fig. 2. Fi' .21.;is abottom viewof a mine car equippe -with my improvements, one journal box being removed. Fig. 3 is a partial end .elevat-ionof the car. showing the draw bar' in end elevation. Fig. 4. is a view taken onthe'line y-y of Fig. 2.

lar parts throu bout the drawings.

The body. 1 0% the car ma .be of any suitable construction but that s ownis an ordinary wooden body mine car having end bails 2 and a bottom 3. To the underside of the nectedtothe plate by bolts 11 which pass through the journalbox and through the plate. Anysuitabletype of. axles 12 are mounted] in these boxes and have wheels 13 mounted at their outer ends. Along the lonitudinalYcenter-line of the car and below .14, the ends 0 which are bent over so as to overlap and fit snugly against the ends 5015 the plate 4.. At its center, this brace plate 14 i rigidly connected to the top plat/e14. by

the plate 4 and the boxes are rigidly 'cone structa'on whic pemnits he car to be set low Similar reference numerals refer to simi-' bottom 3 I attache metalplate' 4 having its eaxles 12 is rovideda narrow brace plate means of an angle plate 15 connected by rivets 16 tothe center of plate 15 and having its ends inclined upwardly at an angle and riveted to the under face of the plate 4.

The manner of connecting the draw bars for each end of the car is the same and only one construction will be described. bar 17 of any suit-abl type is supported at its outer end in a clip l8 bolted to the underside of the bail 2, The inner reduced end or shank 22 of the draw bar is riveted or otherwise faste ed to a washer 19 which serves as an inner seat for a coilspring 20, which at its outer and bears against a slide plate 21 having a central opening through which the shank oi the draw bar passes. The slide plate 21 at each end is rigidly connected by bolts 23 to the overlapping ends of the. plates 4 and 1.4, the draw bar being freeto move longitudinally against the action oi the coil spring 20. It will be noted that the manner in which the plates 4 and 14 are overlapped at their ends and braced in their centers will give an exceedingly strong and rigid structure to which the draw bars are connected. It will also be noted that all of the running gear,as well as the draw bar connection, can be readily disconnected from a car. The plate 4, while deriving much strength from the bottom of the car, will be always sufiiciently rigid to hold the axles in true parallelism and yet be flexible enough to accommodate itself to the bending or flex ing of the car body.

lt is not essential that the ends of the plates l and 14 be overlapped for other means may be devised for connecting the spring holding means for each draw bar to the adjacent ends of the said plates.

\Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. l n a running gear for cars. the combination with the bottom of a car, of a metal plate atthched thereto. journal boxes for the axles of the car which are'connected to the corners of said plate which holds the axles inparallelism, and means to reinforce Said plate transversely of the car while leaving its body free to flex lengthwise of the car, as and for the purposes described. i

2. In a running gear for mine cars, the con'ibination with the bottom of a car, of a flexible metal plate attached to the underside thereof, journal boxes for the axles of the car which are connected near the ends of said plate which holds the axles in parallelism, the axles eing spaced from said plate, and means to reinforce said plate transversely of the car adjacent to the axles while leaving the body of the plate free to flex and vibrate, as and for the purposes described.

8. In a running gear for mine cars, the combination with the car body, of a metal A draw stantially as described.

4:. A running gear for mine cars comprising in combination a main metal plate attached to the underside of the bottom of the car and having its ends bent down, journal boxes for the car axles which are connected to said plate, and a longitudinal reinforcing plate which at its center is braced to-the main plate and has its ends upturned and connected to the downturncd ends of the metal plate, substantially as described.

In a mine car, a main metal plate connected to the bottom of the car, a reinforcing plate disposed longitudinally of the car and spaced from said main plate, braces to connect the main and reinforcing plates near the center of the latter, and a draw bar at.

disposed lengthwise of the car and adapted topass under the axles, means to connect the main and reinforcing plates at their centers, spring frames, one of which is connected to the adjacent ends of the main and reinforcing plates at each end of the car, a draw bar slidably mounted at each end of the car, and a spring mounted, in each frame and engaging the inner endof a draw bar to hold the latter retracted, substantially as described. v 7. In a mine car, a metal plate having substantially the width of the car which isconnectcd to the underside of the bottom of the car and has its two ends spaced from the ends of the car and bent down, a narrow reinforcing plate having its ends bent up and adapted to lap the down turned ends of the wide plate means to brace the two plates together near their centers, and means to connect a draw bar to said plates at each end of the car, each of said draw bar connecting means comprising a pair of bolts which are bolted to the'overlapping ends of the two plates, a cross piece to which said bolts are connected at their outer ends, each draw bar having its inner ends adapted to project inwardly of its respective cross piece, and a spring interposed between each. cross piece and the inner end of its respective draw bar, substantially 31s described.

8. In a running gear for mine cats, the

, combination with the bottom of a'car, of a. plate. transversely adjacent to each axle, flexible metal plate which, near its ends, is substantially as described. 10 connected to the undersideof the bottom of In testimony whereof I aflix my signature the car and. has its middle portion left free in presence of two witnesses.

5 of rigid connection to said bottom, means to JOHN F. FOX.

attach journal boxes of both car'axles to said Witnesses: gate near its ends, the axles bein spaced R. 'D. JOHNSTON,

' om the plate, and means to rein orce the NoMm WELSH. 

